Council of Single Mothers and their Children (CSMC) envisions a society where single mother families are valued and treated equally fairly. We’ve got a long way to go.

“In single-parent families, four children in ten now live in poverty.After 25 years of uninterrupted economic growth, we can do better than this!” David Morawetz, Poverty in Australia 2016

The recently released ACOSS Poverty in Australia 2016 report tells us what we already know: lone parents, 84% of whom are single mothers, have the highest prevalence of poverty of all family types, and the trend has increased over 10 years.

One third of lone parent families (33.6%) are living below the poverty line of 50% of the medium income.

40.6% of children in lone parent families are in poverty (compared with 12.5% of children in couple households).

This leads to the truly pertinent questions: Why? & What can we do to reduce the structural disadvantage that single mothers face?

We know the triggers of poverty are the inadequate level of government benefits; lack of employment options that fit within single mothers’ responsibilities; unaffordable or inaccessible childcare and after school care; overpriced and unsuitable private rental property reliance; ongoing stigmatisation.

“Of all welfare recipients, single mums are the most highly motivated to do paid work and provide as best they can for their children.” CSMC member